Vincent Goelen from J.Van Breda & C° tells
DIGITAL INTERACTION AS A LEVER THAT MAKES THE PROCESS MORE EFFICIENT
With a business model in which customization and a personal service are indispensable, Bank J. Van Breda & C° faces a complex communication challenge. The bank is therefore concentrating on a strategy in which digital customer interaction and personal contact reinforce each other. Vincent Goelen, Lead Developer at Bank J. Van Breda & C° explains how.
Paperless existence
Goelen: “In 2008, we started to develop a new back office system with modern technologies. This included the plan to digitize our documents. This is how we came to Dialog Group in 2009.
Our goal was to become a paperless bank. Is it now completely paperless? No, to this day we still send letters, although limited. Sometimes you can’t avoid it.”
Working manually
“Before 2008, every document originated from a manual flow. Pre-printed forms were filled in manually by the account manager. The documents were then processed in our back office systems. This was labor intensive and now more than 10 years ago. Now we can send documents personalized and automated or have them signed where the already known data is filled in. Once signed, everything is automatically processed in our core banking system. All these automated processes have contributed to the bank’s efficiency. Both in the front office and in the back office.”
Personal contact as added value
“We are a bank for entrepreneurs and the independent professions, so we are a real niche bank. A niche bank that wants to create added value for customers by supporting them in making the right financial choices. We are not a classic retail (product) bank, but a specialized advisory bank. Personal contact with the customer is important.
We see digital interaction as a lever that makes the process run more efficiently. The more we digitize, the more we can focus on personal contact as added value for our customers. We want digital customer interaction and personal contact to reinforce each other. They should not be separate channels. On the contrary, they should be fully coordinated with each other.”
The role of IT
“Our IT department consists of about 100 colleagues. The department works on all the functionalities you can think of in a bank. Payments, accounts, investments, loans, online banking, technical infrastructure and so on.
The 12-person team I lead focuses, among other things, on the various sales processes and the communication towards existing customers and prospects. To do this, we work with the relevant stakeholders, which is almost the entire organization. We always try to be a proactive partner and to ensure that we produce what is needed.”
Communication between departments
“Communication is important everywhere, but in my team it certainly is. We have many different stakeholders, such as the product departments, marketing, sales and the legal department. Our role is to make sure that all the systems link up nicely so that the customer experience is uniform. Good customer communication starts with good internal communication.
In recent months we have set up working groups on optichannel communication. The board members were also part of this. This way all layers of the organization are involved in the choices we make, and there is a link between the long-term strategic choices and the short-term operational needs. In this way, a real basis of support is created.”
Digitization trends
“When I look at the financial sector, I see that there is a lot of focus on digitization. The platforms on which customers can conduct their banking business are becoming more and more extensive. It is increasingly seen as a platform on which you can buy various services: buy train tickets or receive push notifications for soccer results. As a small niche bank, we can never win that battle. That’s why we are opting for a niche approach in our digital strategy. We want to be the bank where the personal and the digital are best aligned and where personal contact and digital interaction reinforce each other.”
ABOUT BANK J.VAN BREDA & C°
Bank J. Van Breda & C° helps entrepreneurs and independent professions, both private and professional, to make the right financial choices.
employees*
offices in Belgium*
billion in assets under management*
* jaarverslag 2020
Vincent Goelen
Lead Developer at
Bank J.Van Breda & C°
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